


The Wonderings of a Prince

by TheYaoiChick



Series: Seasons Change -- New Lives In The Making [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Don't copy to another site, Family Bonding, Family Drama, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, kids being kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2020-10-13 11:28:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20581766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheYaoiChick/pseuds/TheYaoiChick
Summary: Arthur has been curious about the Prince of the Winter Kingdom for years. When his father brings him and Morgana for working in their treaty, he hopes to finally put his musing behind him.





	The Wonderings of a Prince

Arthur is five when he first asks, “Father, King Balinor has a son a bit younger than me right? So why have I never met him when I’ve met all the other princes and princess?”

  
He’s may have only met most of the other royalty children this year, but he knew King Balinor had been to their kingdom, and been at the other kingdoms at the same time as them, and Arthur has never seen the younger prince. Which Arthur thought was completely unfair. If he had to go through all the boring forced politeness in those dreadful meetings and feast, he didn’t see why the Winters prince was allowed to escape them.

  
“Balinor and his wife have decided not to bring their son outside their kingdom until he’s older. They say they don’t wish to risk him becoming ill by a sudden shift in temperature caused by the weather in our kingdom,” Uther said, not bothering to lift his head from the trade reports he was reviewing.

  
“Is he really weak and sickly then? **I’ve** been to the other kingdoms and I’ve never gotten ill,” Arthur said.

  
“Not all the other kingdoms. You’ve yet to be to the Winter Kingdom. And it’s likely the boy has a weak constitution yes, and when the time comes that you go to the Winter Kingdom you will take care to keep as much distance as you can without offending them. Now get to the library, your tutor should be arriving soon,” Uther replied.

  
“Yes Father,” Arthur said turning, already thinking how bored he’s bound to be. All thoughts of the Winter Kingdom and its prince swiftly left his mind.

* * *

Arthur doesn’t think of the winter prince again until a year later, when Morgana has moved in with them after the death of her father. Or apparently her foster father. Adoptive father? Arthur isn’t to clear on the details on how she sees him, only that her mother and his--**their**\-- father had an affair and it only came to light in recent years. He’d been trying to connect with her, losing the father that raised her and being forced to live with the man who caused her family much grieve hasn’t been easy for her and she’s refused to leave her room, refused to eat and Arthur would swear she hasn’t slept judging by the circles under her eyes but knows better than to say so after telling one of his fathers advisers wives she should sleep more. His father later told him to not make uncomplimentary comments on women no matter how true, which to this day Arthur still doesn’t understand why but his father had never lead him wrong before.

  
Talking through the door he tries everything he can think of to draw her out; from the latest gossip he overheard to how his tutoring was going to the upcoming meeting the four seasonal kings to wanting to be able to start his sword training. Just as he beginning to start to have less to talk about the door finally crack open and her voice asks,

  
“What’s the Winter King like?”

Arthur blinked, not sure why the meeting of the four kings, or even the Winter king specifically would be the thing to draw her out, but decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and tried to put meaningful thought into his answer, not wanting to cut off the conversation before it really got to start because he was careless with his words.

  
“At first he seemed really contentious, he found problems with everything he had Father had to discuss. Everything from the trade routes to the border lines and to how royalty should be treated by their subjects. I couldn’t understand why Father bothered, though now I understand as a King you have to work with all sorts of people no matter how stubborn or argumentative,” Arthur said as he leaned against the wall by the side where the door was cracked, seeing a glimps of Morgana leaning on the door in return to hear him better.

  
“But then I began watching how he acted with people other than my father or any of his advisors. He helped a flustered servant pick up the laundry she’d dropped after she had run into him. He made odd faces at young children and babies just to make them laugh or smile, and told the son of the baker how brave he was being after he’d broken his nose and the healer had to reset it. And the few times he’d talked to me I’d started to notice he never talked down at me or made me feel foolish for not knowing something, and actually listened to what I thought on whatever he’d asked me about as if it had any sort of value. Not many do that. Then I started to think more on what he was actually arguing about with Father, and that while Father is doing whats in the best interest of Camelot, I think he was doing everything he could to get the bigger benefits out of their discussions. And that King Balinor was trying to argue a compromise more equal between both of them, because I don’t think he wants the people of Camelot to lose out just to benefit himself or his own kingdom.”

  
Arthur stopped, having not intended to go that far into it and finished it off by saying, “So in answer to your question I think he’s a good and fair King, even to those who aren’t under his ruling. Why do you want to know about him?”

  
Morgana hesitated, and he worried she wouldn’t answer and go back in reclusion when she said, “My mother was from the Winter Kingdom. She only moved here after getting married. She talked about it sometimes. It sounds like a nice place.”

  
“I can’t speak of the kingdom itself since I’ve never visited there, but if it’s anything like its king then I’m sure it’s a wonderful place.”

  
“The prince is about our age isn’t he? What’s he like? Is he kind like his father?” she asked.

  
“I haven’t the slightest idea what the prince is like. I’ve never met him or the queen.”

  
“Why not? They had to have come to the meetings, the other kingdoms would take offence if they didn’t,” she said. He can here the bewilderment in her voice, and he couldn’t say he blamed her for it. _He_ was shocked that the other kingdoms haven’t seemed to take offence to it. Though given what his father told him last he asked over it--

  
“They aren’t offended because they don’t wish to risk their people getting ill. Apparently the prince gets sick very easily, and since he’d be in contact with their own children should he be here they’re relieved he’s not.”

“Oh that poor boy,” the door finally opened wide enough that he could see she had a hand pressed to her chest, a worried look upon her face.

  
“Poor boy? You don’t even know him! Besides if anything he’s lucky. _He_ doesn’t have to be polite and where a constant polite smile and make nice with bratty other princes and sit through boring meetings and feasts where your told your only allowed talk about _these_ topics with only _these_ people and-” Arthur began before she cut him off with--

  
“How can you be this inconsiderate?! It must be horrible being stuck in a stuffy castle all day with no one to talk to, and if he’s always ill then he must not get to play that often either depending on the illness. And when he finally _does_ meet the other princes and princesses he’ll be the only one out of the loop. He’ll feel like an outsider cause while you lot will know each other and be comfortable with each other he won’t and since none of you know him you’ll exclude him which will only make him feel worse! So yes, that poor boy!” she had thrown the door back to yell in his face, and her face was so red he’d be worried she’s pass out from fever if his own face wasn’t just as hot in embarassment.

  
Other than his father no one had dared yelled at him like this before. And no one other than his father had made him feel quite this stupid for not thinking of what was said before it was said to him before either.

  
Not knowing how to respond to that with out embarrassing himself even further he replied, “well eventually Father will be taking us to the Winter Kingdom, if no other reason than King Balinor can’t make one of the trips here and you’ll have plenty of opportunity to coo and coddle him to your hearts content.”

  
That came out a lot snider than he’d intended.

“Maybe I will! I’m sure he could use a friend and gods shown you don’t have the empathy to do so!”

  
“Fine! Do whatever you want I don’t care.”

  
“Fine!” she slammed the door as he turned in a huff. He couldn’t quite decide if he’d succeeded in his mission to get her to open up. “_Girls are weird._”

* * *

When Arthur is ten, he finds out Gwaine has already met the Winter Prince.

  
“Merlin? Yeah I’ve known him for about two years now. Normal eight year old, cute as a button and as energetic as a puppy. As mischievous as one too, though no one believes me when I tell them _he’s_ the one who plans our sneaks into the kitchens for sweets or trips out of the castle for some fun in the woods,” Gwaine says with a laugh.

  
“Sneaking out of the castle? I thought he was sickly?” Arthur asked.

  
“That was when he was real young, he’s starting to grow out of it. Not that uncommon really,” Gwaine replied with a casual shrug. He didn’t see why all the adults were making a big deal of it, it’s not as if the boy had some incurable extremely catching disease, he just had a more sensitive immune system.

  
“In the last letter he sent me he was talking about how excited he was about going to Spring Kingdom. So the King and Queen must be trying to get him caught up in meeting everyone before another huge meeting is set. I guess in an attempt not to overwhelm him. They’ll probably be scheduling a visit here soon, or you a visit there, so you’ll meet him yourself soon enough,” Gwaine said with a grin.

  
“Oh, I see,” was all Arthur could think to reply. He’s not at all jealous that Gwaine’d met him first, no matter what Morgana teased on the contrary. And he _certainly_ wasn’t jealous of the Spring Kingdom for seeing him so soon. He wasn’t bitter at all for being the last to meet the mysterious price. He’s just relived he no longer has to worry about catching anything from him. Really he wasn’t even looking forward to meeting him. Really he wasn’t.

  
Arthur found he wasn’t that good at lying, even to himself.

* * *

Arthur is twelve when he finally gets to go to the Winter Kingdom.

  
When his father informed him and Morgana of the trip it was an extrem effort on his part not to show his excitement. He had never shown much enthusiasm at visiting the other kingdoms, and he wouldn’t know how to explain why he was this time around if his father was suspicious. Especially not a reason his father would _except_ as decent for the Prince to have.

  
Morgana tried to hide her excitement too, though Arthur couldn’t begin to understand _why_. She at least **had** a reason to be looking forward to going to her mothers homeland. Then again, Morgana always had chosen to hide the wrong things from their father, showing anger and arguing in the court over everything and anything when she should wait until she was behind doors-- or was only with Arthur-- to let her rage fly. Hiding when she was truely upset, rarely letting him see her cry and going to ridiculous lengths to assure that their father never did. And only showing Uther things that made her happy on the surface but only showed Arthur things that mean the world to her.

  
It’s a very confusing effort to know what she doesn’t want who to know, it leave Arthur feeling like a circus dog jumping through hoops.

  
At least _this_ they can share in hiding. And as soon as they’re dismissed they rush as fast as they can without drawing attention to themselves to Arthur's rooms. As soon as his door is slammed shut they turn with blinding grins and start to say at the same time,

  
“You finally get to see your mothers homeland, I told you you’d see it sooner rather than later--”

  
“You finally get to meet the Winter Prince and I won’t have to listen to you whine anymore about how everyones met him but you--”

  
“And who knows you may meet someone there who knew her and you’ll have someone to talk with about her--"

  
“And you can run wild for a change is he’s anything like Gwaine said he was and not being the perfect little prince your father always demands you to be since you can always say you went along with it so you don’t offend him--”

  
“And....wait what? Who said anything about running wild? And I did not **whine** about him!” Arthur said, brain finishing processing what she’d said.

  
“The four years I’ve lived here would say otherwise. It only got worse after Gwaine told you he’d met him first but you definitely whined about him beforehand,” Morgana said, arms crossed and eyebrow in a pale imitation of Gaius’.

“You can stop exaggerating now. How can I possibly whine--if I was the type to whine in the first place which I’m not because princes are above that-- about someone I’ve never met? Its ridiculous,” Arthur argued.

  
“You do realize that princes are human yes? This logic isn’t too much for you’re little brain to handle? Then you would realize that whining, especially whining fueled by jealousy, is hardly above you as your human and a child at that,” Morgana said, in the same condescending way that she told him that all kings no matter how great make mistakes when she was trying to tell him off about idolizing his father.

  
Arthur takes a deep breath and counts to fifty in his head before saying, “Look I don’t want to argue with you right now, so lets just agree to disagree on that and plan what we’re going to do once we’re in Winter Kingdom. We should make the most of the time we’re there since we don’t know when we’ll be going back after all.”

  
The shocked look on her face made not yelling back at her completely worth it.

  
“That’s surprisingly mature of you. I agree, lets begin planning,” she says with a mischievous smirk. Arthur has a both a good and bad feeling from it. But then that’s his usual feeling when planing with her.

* * *

  
They could only just make out the castle doors when their carriage wheel broke off.

  
“I’m sorry sire! We’ll have this fixed right away!” one of the servants said, not daring to look Uther in the eyes in hopes of escaping his wrath.

  
“Father while they reattach the wheel can I search the perimeter?” Arthur asked. Less because he thought they were in any sort of danger and more to avoid the boredom and being forced the listen to his father rant on the uselessness of servants who couldn’t do their jobs and who’ll make them look like fools and the entire speech he’s heard hundreds of times before.

  
Uther waves him off saying, “Yes fine. Just make sure to stay within hearing distance. I will not have us detained any longer than whats completely unavoidable.”

  
“Yes Father.”

  
Arthur had only been walking for ten minutes when he begins to hears a voice coming from the woods say,

  
“You can’t fly off like that right now Aithusa, if we’re late for meeting the Summer Kingdoms royal family Mother will have my hide and Father won’t let me continue to help with your flying lessons for a _month_! You’ll be stuck with that old grump all by yourself, do you really want to risk that?”

As the voice gets nearer he can see it’s a boy around his age, maybe a year or three younger with a shock of black hair that didn’t cover his ears and a lanky frame with stick thin arms and legs, dressed in a deep blue velvet cloke with white fur around the hood. And he was carrying what looks like a white baby dragon! Morgana _had_ to told him once the winter kingdom had dragons but he thought she’d been making it up in a pathetic attempt to scare him!

  
She had also said the dragons are frequent companions of the Fae, is this boy one of them? No he said he was supposed to be meeting with them, that would make him the prince right? Maybe he’s a Fae and was adopted? Or maybe the Fae didn’t want him and took the real prince and left him behind? He’d heard stories that they did that pretty often.

  
Before he could think deeper on what or who the boy was, he noticed the talking had stopped. Looking up he sees the boy is staring straight at him, head tilted in confusion.

  
“Who are you? What are you doing wandering the forest? Don’t you know it isn’t safe around these parts right now?” the boy asked.

  
“I don’t have to answer to you. And if it’s so unsafe then why are you walking around the forest?” Arthur asked. His father had always told him when in doubt always assume your of superior rank since it’s easier to apologize then to win back respect if you give it away.

  
“Actually you do. This is Winter Kingdom property and you are an intruder. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t have Aithusa here fly to get the guards?” the boy asked with a glare on his face.

  
“I’m not an intruder I’m a guest! If you must know I’m the prince of the summer kingdom, Prince Arthur. I take it since your threatening to tell guards that that makes you prince Merlin?” Arthur asked.

  
“I am. You still haven’t answered on what your doing in the forest. The dragons are waking from hibernation season, and they’ll be looking for food,” Merlin said.

  
“One of our wheels broke off, I was just looking around until it was fixed. And again if it’s so dangerous why are you out here?” Arthur asked, though he did start to look worriedly towards the sky.

“The dragons wouldn’t harm me, my father is their lord. And they’ve all known me since birth. Our people would be safe as well since they have constant contact with the dragons, and also know the procedures of what to do during hibernation and mating seasons. It’s only outsiders that have to be concerned with becoming an appetizer,” Merlin said as he put the baby dragon on the ground.

  
“If the dragons are hibernating then why is that one here?” Arthur asked nodding his head towards the baby dragons has it began rolling about in the snow.

  
“Aithusa has only recently been hatched. She won’t go into hibernation until next year,” Merlin explained.

  
“I see,” Arthur said, not sure what else to say to him. He’d be wondering about him for ages, now when he finally meets him he gets tongue tied? Morgana would have a field day if she ever learned of this. He notices that Merlin has his head cocked and before he could ask what he was staring at he hears Merlin whisper,

  
“There’s no way it’s true.”

  
“No way what’s true?” Arthur asked. He hadn’t had a chance to say anything that could be seen as a deceit so he’s got him lost. Unless he doesn’t believe Arthur is the prince?

  
“What? Oh nothing just talking to myself,” Merlin says with the fakest smile, apparently he wasn’t meant to have heard him.  
“Even so you were clearly talking about me as I’m the only one here so I want to know what you meant,” Arthur pushed.

  
“No you’re going to think I’m stupid. Or gullible, which is frankly worse,” Merlin said. Arthur could see the tips of his ears turning red and couldn’t help blurting out,

“Well now you have to tell me or I’ll think you’re a tease. You can’t just dangle a sentence like that and then leave me hanging.”

  
“Arugh fine. It’s just, okay Gwaine told me this rumor, and before you say anything _yes_ I know he likes to pull pranks on people but honestly if you heard how he told it you’d be convinced too and you’re _from_ the Summer Kingdom--”

  
“Merlin.”

  
“That is if it is just a rumor and not just a really hard to believe truth which then I’d look a fool anyway for not believing what I’ve never seen before though you can’t _really_ blame me cause it is pretty out there--”

  
“Merlin!”

  
“But then people say that about dragons too and _they_ clearly exist so it might be true and--”

“_Merlin!_” Arthur grabbed Merlin by the arms and gave him a single hard shake.

  
“What?!”

  
“You’re rambling. Just tell me what god forsaken rumor Gwaine filled your head with and I can just _tell_ you if it’s ridiculous or not,” Arthur huffed. Honestly all this work for just one messily rumor. It had at least better be a funny one.

  
“Okay! Geez could have just said so you didn’t need to grab me. I’m probably gonna have bruises cause of you now and how am I supposed to explain that to my parents huh? But no you don’t think about that cause you’re not the one of has to explain without causing a national crisis even though it would be _your_ fault and--”

  
“I’m five seconds away from smacking you and them you’ll really have a hard time explaining things to your parents. Now just tell me the rumor!”

  
“Gwaine said... he said... that people in the summer kingdom have the power to... you know... well... grow gills and fins and.... _cough_... turn into merpeople?” Merlin said, his voice turning quieter until it was so low Arthur had to lean in to hear it all and his face grew steadily redder until he looked as if he’d been in the summer sun for days.

  
For what felt like hours but was in actuality only five minutes Arthur could do nothing but stare at him in shock, Merlin turning a deeper and deeper red, which admittedly had him a touch concerned, because for all that he tried to guess what Gwaine could have possibly told him, _that_ was never on the list. Not even just that particular creature, that Gwaine had this boy convinced or at the very least questioning that they could turn into _anything_ was mind boggling.

  
“How could you _possibly_ think that was in anyway true?” Arthur asks when he finally found his voice.

  
“I told you, the way Gwaine tells it is very convincing. And he said that’s why your kingdom and all your cities are always around big bodies of water, so you can exercise and because you _have_ to transform at least once a mouth or you’ll get really sick. And that apparently you were only able to do it when it was sun out cause the moon made the water too cold and it hurt your scales? Which I mean, had that been true would be such a waste don’t you think? Night time is when things are the most beautiful! To swim under the moon and stars would be the greatest perk of turning into a merperson I think,” Merlin said. Strangely matter of fact too.

  
“You’ve certainly....given this a lot of thought,” Arthur said, trying his best not to laugh. Some how he gets the feeling the younger prince wouldn’t take that very well.

Before Merlin could respond they hear a voice calling out Arthurs name.

  
“Arthur! Return at once! The carriage is fixed and we shall not wait any longer!”

  
Seeing the question in Merlins eyes Arthur says apologetically, “That’s my father. I’ve got to go now, which means you should hurry yourself. Wouldn’t want your mother to string you up now would you?”

  
“Yeah yeah fine. But after all the stuffy introductions are over you have to let me show you the dragons fire! I promise you’ve never seen anything like it!” Merlin says as he leans down to re-pick up Aithusa.

  
“Dragons what? What do you me--? Whatever fill me in later. Its a promise!” Arthur said as he turned to run back to where his family was.

  
“I’ll hold you to it!” Merlin said as he turned to do the same.

  
“_Honestly, he just had to have the last word didn’t he?_” Arthur thought with a laugh. When he reaches his family, he refuses to tell Morgana what’s got him smiling so hard. Her frustration is just the cherry on top of the cake.

  
“_This trip is going to be the best one yet, I can feel it._”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading~ All kudos, comments and bookmarks will join my dragons horde ;)


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